Art of extracting metals from ores.



i No Drawing.

i] TE STATES Pars" more JOSE BAXERESDE ALZUGARAY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MES'NE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO MIDLAND ORES AND PATENTS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N'. Y., .A

CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ART OF EXTRAOTING METALS FROM ORES.

To all whom it mag concern: v

Be it known that I, Josii BAXERES on ALZUGARAY, a citizen of the Argentine Republic, residing in New York, county of ,New York, and State of New York, have inout previous roasting.

The objects of my invention are: to provide a process which eliminates all previous roasting of the ores; to provide a process by which exceptional efliciency and rapidity ofthe solvent action of the solution are obtained; to provide a process employing a solution the chemical constituents of which are cheap and which can be regenerated at insignificant cost and its efliciency completely restored; and to provide a process by which, when treatment of the, ore has begun, reactionof the solution upon the ore will in part produce certain of-the constitu- .means of acidulated solutions of chlorids containing free chlorin obtained by the partial decomposition. of the hydrogen chlorid in solutidn through the action of suitable oxidizing agents, and,,in consequence, my invention applies to the treatment of all kinds of copper and silver ores, and to the extraction from those ores of the small amounts of gold usually present therein.

According to my process, the ore to be treated is preferably, though not necessarily, reduced to a desired degree of fineness, and then subjected to the action of av solvent solution which is allowed to saturate the same to the desired degree. The solution is then freed, by precipitation, from the excess of chlorids ofmetals dissolved iromthe ore, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15,1912.

, Application filed September 21, 1907. Serial No. 393,975.-

subsequently regenerated by the action of oxidizing reagents In extracting copper and its accompanying metals, a solution is formed of iron chlorids and copper chlorids (proto or perchlorids) together With an alkali chlorid or alkali-earth chlorid to which is added a suitable amount of hydrogen chlorid; When the ore has been for some time acted on by this solution, a suitable,

oxidizing agent is employed for liberating chlorin from the hydrochloric acid in the solutiom so as to enable it to dissolve the gold contents, and also in order to peroxidize the iron protochlorids and the cuprous chlorid resulting from the action of thesolotion on the ore, thus also regenerating the initial solution, and restoring to it its full solvent properties. Among the existing agents which I may use to liberate free chlorin from the acid solutions are the alkali chlorids; and alkali-earth perchlorates and, hypochlorits, the chromates and bi-, chromates, and the manganates and permanganates.

A characteristic solution for my purposes includes ferric chlorid, as an active chloridizing agent and, in conjunction therewith,

certain solvent mediator the copper or sil-.

ver chlorids; cupric chlorid, as a second active chloridizing agent, which may be introduced as such or may be produced ,by certain reactions, such as those of ferric chlorid or hydrochloric acidin contact with the copper or copper compounds of the ore; an alkali chlorid, such as common salt, and the solution, as a Whole, acidulated with hydrochloric-acid. The functions of the salt and acid are iiiainly to increase the solvent capacity of the solution, though the hydrochloricacid is used as a source of chlorin and may be utilized as a reagent to assist in producing an' initial supply of cuprous and cupric chlorid. The use of an alkali chlorid makes it ossible to greatly decrease the amount 01 hydrochloric acid and of iron and copper c'hlorids which, otherwise, would be necessary,vand as salt ischeap it affords an economical means of increasing the solvent capacity ofthe solution.

The solution in course of formation or after use maybe modified and partially regenerated by, introduction of' regulated amounts 'of 'fchlorin, or of oxygen. Ohlorin may be introduced as such, Gamay be liberated from the constituent compounds through the action of anoxidizing agent, Alkali 'grnetal perchlorates, hypochlora es .chro- 'mates, =bichromates, manganates, and permanganates-added tothe solution will also effect the same results. Where the oxidizing action'is .desired, it may be brought about by regulated exposure to the air orby the introduction of the oxidizing reagents, either initially applied oradded from time to time, as. desired. i

The introduction of oxygen will serve to liberate chlorin and also to regenerate part of the ferrous chlorid formin ferric chlorid (E601 and ferric oxid (Fe The chlorin serves to regenerate chlorids and to assist in dissolving out silver and any gold that I may be present in the ore.

In accordance with my invention, copper and silver sulfids, of an average composition as follows:

Copper 2. 50% Silver 25 oz. Gold 5 dwt.

may be treated with a solution, containing in parts per 100, as follows: Ferrous and ferric chlorids 10. 00

Cuprous and cupric 2. 00 Sodium 20. O0 Hydrochloric acid, 20 B 4. 00

' Water 64. 00 Sodium manganate .100 100.100

and maintained at its constant, or full, strength by the addition of small amounts of oxidizing agents.

The ferric and cupric chlorids, after acting onthe ore, are reduced to protosalts. When the solvent solutions have reached this state they are peroxidized and, consequently, regenerated by injecting chlorin into the waste liquors. The process is thus rapid. By my process,

rendered continuous, and the liquors can be used to treat fresh amounts of ores.

In carrying out my invention and Working my process, the solutions can be used cold or hot; but, if the latter, the extraction of the metallic contents in'the ore is more treated in bulk, or in heaps, in vats or the ores may be wooden receptacles; and the solution, holding the copper, gold and silver values in solution, is treated by means of iron to obtain 'copper cement containing also silver and gold, or by means of any suitableprecipitate such as sulfureted hydrogen.

In the foregoing description, it has been deemed unnecessary to set forth fully all-the possible interplay of chemical and molecular relations in the solutions; but, to those skilled in the art, it will heevident that the constituents of the solution and their peculiar inter-relation constitute a true combination of the reatest efficiency. .Hence, while certain su stitutions of specific compounds may be found to be possible. andpracticable in certain cases without destroy ing the useful balance and interplay of chemical forces, the substitutions should be limited to such as will notinterfere withor destroy the characteristic relations. In general, with reference to the copper solution,

when fully formed and applied to the ore to eifect the chloridizing of the solution inaccordance with this invention, comprises essentially an active perchlorid, such as ferric chlorid; also an active perchlorid of the metal to be extracted from the ore; and also solvent media for the hydrochloride resulting from the chloridizing action. In case of silver and copper, the second chloridizing' agent and'the hydrochlorid must be cupric and cuprous chlorids, 'respectively,- and for the extraction of silver the copper chlorid must be present initially, because it is the cupric chlorid that is mostly active in dissolving the silver, and' it is the cuprous chlorid which is the, principal media for the dissolved silver chlorid. f

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure byLetters Pat ent is? 1. The process for treating copper, silver and gold ores consisting in subjecting a pulverized mass of ore to the action ofa mixture of acidulated alkali and metallic chlorids, to which a suitable amount of a chlorate or a perchlorate is added'to-effect the solution of the precious metals.

' 2. The process for treating copper, gold and silver ores consisting in reducing the ores to a pulverent state and then subject-ing the reduced mass to the action of an, acidulated solution of chlorids, perclilo'rids and perchlorates of the alkali and heavy metals.

3. The process for, treating copper, gold a chlorate such as sodium chlorate, metallic and the Whole acidulatedwwith hydrochloric and silver ores-consistinginreducing the ores' In testimony whereof I have hereunto to a pulverulent state, and then subjecting sig ed my name in the presence of two sub- 10 the reducecl mass t0, the action of a solution. scrlbing Witnesses. V l

of an alkall chlond, such as scdlum chlond, JOSE BAXEBES DE ALZUGARAY.

chlorids such is copper and iron chlorids, Witnesses: f

FLORENCE ATEN IVES, acld. (Ems-M00. CHAPMAN.

. Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gominis si oner of Iatents Washington, D. 0; 

